Effects of warming on growth, morphology and physiological metabolism characteristics of fine roots in a mature Cunninghamia lanceolata plantation in different seasons

doi:10.17521/cjpe.2022.0183

Abstract

Abstract:

Aims The objective of this study was to reveal the effects of climate warming on fine root dynamics of a plantation in subtropical China.

Methods An in situ soil warming experiment in a mature Cunninghamia lanceolataplantation was conducted at the Fujian Sanming Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station. The effects of soil warming on the growth, morphology and physiological metabolism characteristics of fine roots in this mature plantation in different seasons were investigated by using the in-growth core method.

Important findings In the rainy season, warming significantly increased the growth of 0-1 mm fine roots and total fine roots (0-2 mm) by 109.9 % and 78.2% respectively, and also increased the specific root length (SRL) and soluble sugar content of 0-1 mm fine roots by 28.8% and 41.5% respectively, compared with the control. However, warming significantly decreased the root specific respiration rate (SRR) and starch content of total fine roots by 64.1% and 15.9% respectively. In the dry season, there were no significant changes in the growth and morphological indices of 0-1 mm and 1-2 mm fine roots after warming, while the SRR of 0-1 mm fine roots and the contents of starch and non-structural carbohydrates (NSC) of 1-2 mm fine roots were significantly reduced by 60.7%, 43.9% and 14.2% respectively. Therefore, under future climate warming, the mature C. lanceolata plantation may have strong adaptability in the subtropical region. During the rainy season, the mature C. lanceolata plantation maintains normal physiological activities by increasing fine root SRL to absorb more resources and promoting the transformation of starch to soluble sugar, so as to promote the growth of fine roots in response to warming. In the dry season, the mature C. lanceolata plantation responds to the warming by reducing the SRR of fine roots to reduce internal nutrient depletion and increasing the NSC utilization to improve water transport efficiency to maintain normal fine root growth; adjusting the SRL, specific root surface area and root tissue density of fine roots may not be the main strategies for the mature C. lanceolata plantation in response to warming.

Key words: soil warming, Cunninghamia lanceolata, plantation, fine root growth, morphology, physiological metabolism

WU Fan, WU Chen, ZHANG Yu-Hui, YU Heng, WEI Zhi-Hua, ZHENG Wei, LIU Xiao-Fei, CHEN Shi-Dong, YANG Zhi-Jie, XIONG De-Cheng. Effects of warming on growth, morphology and physiological metabolism characteristics of fine roots in a mature Cunninghamia lanceolata plantation in different seasons[J]. Chin J Plant Ecol, 2023, 47(6): 856-866.

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URL: https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/10.17521/cjpe.2022.0183

https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/Y2023/V47/I6/856

Figures/Tables 6

Fig. 1 Effects of warming on soil temperature and moisture in a mature Cunninghamia lanceolata plantation in year 2021. CT, control treatment; W, warming treatment.

Fig. 2 Effects of warming on growth of fine roots in a mature Cunninghamia lanceolata plantation in rainy (A) and dry (B) season (mean ± SE). CT, control treatment; W, warming treatment. Different uppercase letters indicate significant differences between different treatments of the same diameter class (p < 0.05), and different lowercase letters indicate significant differences between different diameter classes of the same treatment (p < 0.05).

Table 1 p values of repeated measures ANOVA on the effects of season and warming on the growth, morphology and physiological metabolism characteristics of fine roots in a mature Cunninghamia lanceolata plantation

指标 Index	直径 Diameter (mm)	因子 Factor
指标 Index	直径 Diameter (mm)	S	W	S × W
细根生长量 Fine root growth (g·m^-2)	0-1	0.353	0.292	0.073
	1-2	0.813	0.334	0.078
	0-2	0.439	0.582	0.047
比根长 Specific root length (m·g^-1)	0-1	0.048	0.390	0.509
比根长 Specific root length (m·g^-1)	1-2	0.134	0.207	0.194
根比表面积 Specific root surface area (cm^-2·g^-1)	0-1	0.018	0.716	0.192
根比表面积 Specific root surface area (cm^-2·g^-1)	1-2	0.022	0.360	0.307
根组织密度 Root tissue density (g·cm^-3)	0-1	0.069	0.834	0.608
根组织密度 Root tissue density (g·cm^-3)	1-2	0.004	0.825	0.721
比呼吸速率 Specific respiration rate (nmol·g^-1·s^-1)	0-1	0.606	0.003	0.932
比呼吸速率 Specific respiration rate (nmol·g^-1·s^-1)	1-2	0.093	0.384	0.587
可溶性糖含量 Soluble sugar content (mg·g^-1)	0-1	0.001	0.987	0.052
可溶性糖含量 Soluble sugar content (mg·g^-1)	1-2	0.005	0.758	0.228
淀粉含量 Starch content (mg·g^-1)	0-1	0.691	0.471	0.797
淀粉含量 Starch content (mg·g^-1)	1-2	0.018	0.011	0.009
非结构性碳水化合物含量 Non-structural carbohydrates content (mg·g^-1)	0-1	0.008	0.701	0.336
非结构性碳水化合物含量 Non-structural carbohydrates content (mg·g^-1)	1-2	<0.001	0.077	0.017

Table 2 p values of ANOVA on the effects of warming and diameter class on the growth, morphology and physiological metabolism characteristics of fine roots in a mature Cunninghamia lanceolata plantation in different seasons

指标 Index	因子 Factor	p
指标 Index	因子 Factor	雨季 Rainy season	旱季 Dry season
细根生长量 Fine root growth (g·m^-2)	W	0.003	0.297
	D	0.002	0.195
	W × D	0.040	0.655
比根长 Specific root length (m·g^-1)	W	0.026	0.429
	D	<0.001	<0.001
	W × D	0.091	0.607
根比表面积 Specific root surface area (cm^-2·g^-1)	W	0.178	0.641
	D	<0.001	0.001
	W × D	0.350	0.331
根组织密度 Root tissue density (g·cm^-3)	W	0.940	0.915
	D	0.002	0.916
	W × D	0.577	0.860
比呼吸速率 Specific respiration rate (nmol·g^-1·s^-1)	W	0.004	0.061
	D	0.001	0.024
	W × D	0.003	0.018
可溶性糖浓度 Soluble sugar concentration (mg·g^-1)	W	0.023	0.172
	D	0.240	0.129
	W × D	0.926	0.809
淀粉浓度 Starch concentration (mg·g^-1)	W	0.003	0.030
	D	0.101	0.250
	W × D	0.054	0.056
非结构性碳水化合物浓度 Non-structural carbohydrates concentration (mg·g^-1)	W	0.112	0.027
	D	0.435	0.069
	W × D	0.734	0.185

Fig. 3 Effects of warming on morphological characteristics of fine roots in a mature Cunninghamia lanceolata plantation in rainy (A) and dry (B) season (mean ± SE). CT, control treatment; W, warming treatment. Different uppercase letters indicate significant differences between different treatments of the same diameter class (p < 0.05), and different lowercase letters indicate significant differences between different diameter classes of the same treatment (p < 0.05).

Fig. 4 Effects of warming on physiological metabolism characteristics of fine roots in a mature Cunninghamia lanceolata plantation in rainy (A) and dry (B) season (mean ± SE). CT, control treatment; W, warming treatment. Different uppercase letters indicate significant differences between different treatments of the same diameter class (p < 0.05), and different lowercase letters indicate significant differences between different diameter classes of the same treatment (p < 0.05).

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